Low Protein Diet

JulieGo

I'm wondering if any one else is being asked to go on a low protein diet. I found out last week that I have the early stages of Kidney Disease. This can be handled by nutrition, but I'm having a hard time getting any good low protein recipes. I've ordered a cookbook, but I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for me.
We've been told to eat protein for years now, so I'm geared toward tracking my protein in the opposite direction.
Thanks anyone who can help.

KittyLeeB

Hi JulieGo, I’m in the same boat as you, except I have been eating low carb diet for years for my diabetes.
Now, my kidney doctor tells me to cut my protein to 32 grams a day? That leaves what? Eating sticks of butter?
I’ve been using MyFitnessPal to track protein. But, I’m having trouble finding low carb, low protein foods. So far it’s Sara
Lee delightful bread, cream cheese, butter and small servings of sliced turkey and chicken, and lots of salad. But, I get burned out easily eating the same thing all the time.

tlrichardson66

I am in the process of testing kidney levels and scheduled for a sonogram because my creatinine levels are high. I have been eating a low carb diet for years in an effort to control my sugar levels (prediabetic). Now I am using My Fitness Pal to track which has been helping, but it is challenging to keep my protein levels below 80 grams ( as suggested by the nephrologist) AND weird to be eating more carbs, even whole grain. I like to cook so I am up for new ideas to incorporate more veggies and grains

westrich20940

https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/lowprotrecipes

https://www.kidneyfund.org/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/kidney-friendly-diet-for-ckd.html

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325197#best-foods

ronblack93FP

Found this link to a research synopsis for low protein diets and delay of kidney disease: https://www.cochrane.org/CD001892/RENAL_low-protein-diets-non-diabetic-adults-chronic-kidney-disease.

Looks like a VERY Low Protein diets is what I need: for 200 lb person it works out to 27.21 to 36.3 grams of protein per day.

jerier

KittyLeeB wrote: »

Hi JulieGo, I’m in the same boat as you, except I have been eating low carb diet for years for my diabetes.
Now, my kidney doctor tells me to cut my protein to 32 grams a day? That leaves what? Eating sticks of butter?
I’ve been using MyFitnessPal to track protein. But, I’m having trouble finding low carb, low protein foods. So far it’s Sara
Lee delightful bread, cream cheese, butter and small servings of sliced turkey and chicken, and lots of salad. But, I get burned out easily eating the same thing all the time.

I’m following clean keto so my carbs are very low and protein is 46g. I needed to finish today with more fat calories so I whipped 3oz heavy cream with 1/2 tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder and a bit of sea salt. It was divine.

neanderthin

JulieGo wrote: »

I'm wondering if any one else is being asked to go on a low protein diet. I found out last week that I have the early stages of Kidney Disease. This can be handled by nutrition, but I'm having a hard time getting any good low protein recipes. I've ordered a cookbook, but I'd like to know if anyone has any tips for me.
We've been told to eat protein for years now, so I'm geared toward tracking my protein in the opposite direction.
Thanks anyone who can help.

Pretty much all research PhD's on protein and kidney disease are hard pressed to show higher protein intake to be causal for kidney disease. However if a person has kidney disease then consuming higher amounts of protein will exacerbate the condition with excess nitrogen which can accelerated the kidney damage. Eating less protein might delay the progression of kidney disease but it's not going to reverse CKD and that can only be done by addressing the active mechanisms that are causal to begin with and we are talking diet here specifically, but there's many other factors as well, so it's just not about diet.

The totality of the data suggest that diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation, basically metabolic syndrome to be the major cause of CKD as it relates to diet. With the average person getting around 16% of their calories from protein which BTW is pretty much the same for all diets around the world then that would show up as a nutrient of concern for CKD, but it isn't. Diabetes on the other hand is a different story and in Canada over half the people with diabetes are demonstrating signs of renal damage in their lifetime.

I'm not saying you shouldn't lower your protein intake, not at all and it's not clear if you are actually consuming what would be a considered a high protein diet, or not, maybe your consuming less than average. A low protein diet can be interpreted as a high carb diet as well. Before thinking an extremely low protein diet might be a good thing I suggest you talk with a professional experienced in nutrition and renal disease. Personally I would be tailoring my diet to reduce processed foods higher in refined carbohydrates and sugar and consume more of a whole food diet like a Mediterranean style one, as an example. And a whole food Med diet will reduce visceral fat and the correlation that visceral fat is a major contributor to CKD is well documented and of course this is related to refined carbs and sugar as well. Just my opinion.